Do excellent scores balance out not so good EC's?

Test Preparation
1

<p>Would having a very high GPA and extremely good SAT I and SAT II scores balance out a list of EC's that is not necessarily strong? And if the rigor of your classes is very high, does that help as well, or is it almost a necessity to have great EC's in order to get into a top college?</p>

2

<p>If you are applying to a top 20 or so school, then everything should be outstanding. The lower down the rankings you go, the more likely that they will balance things out.</p>

3

<p>^ True. But also, the lower down the rankings you go, the less they are going to care about ECs at all.</p>

4

<p>A lot of the applicants of top schools have high GPA/SAT. Since there is a surplus of these kids, colleges turn to ECs to differentiate between them.</p>

<p>Having high stats only gets you to the admission tables. You need good ECs to get the acceptance letter.</p>